[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 214 (Thursday, November 5, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 59758-59759]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-29653]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[I.D. 103098A]
RIN 0648-AL49


Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; 
Pelagic Fisheries, Amendment 8; Crustacean Fisheries, Amendment 10; 
Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish Fisheries, Amendment 6; Precious 
Corals Fisheries, Amendment 4

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability of fishery management plan amendments; 
request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS issues this notice that the Western Pacific Fishery 
Management Council (Council) has submitted for Secretarial review 
Amendment 8 to the Pelagic Fisheries Management Plan (FMP), Amendment 
10 to the Crustaceans Fisheries FMP, Amendment 4 to the Precious Corals 
Fisheries FMP, and Amendment 6 to the Bottomfish and Seamount 
Groundfish Fisheries FMP and is requesting comments from the public. 
The amendments were prepared so that the FMPs would comply with 
provisions of the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA) regarding bycatch, 
fishing sectors, essential fish habitat, fishing communities, and 
overfishing. Copies of the amendments may be obtained from the Council 
(See ADDRESSES).

DATES: Written comments on the amendments must be received on or before 
January 4, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Charles Karnella, 
Administrator, Pacific Islands Area Office, National Marine Fisheries 
Service, 2570 Dole Street, Room 106, Honolulu, HI 96822-2396. Copies of 
the comprehensive amendment document are available from, Kitty Simonds, 
Executive Director, Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, 1164

[[Page 59759]]

Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alvin Katekaru, Fishery Management 
Specialist, Pacific Islands Area Office, NMFS, at (808) 973-2985 or 
Kitty Simonds at (808) 522-8220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires that each Regional 
Fishery Management Council submit any amendment to a FMP to NMFS for 
review and approval, disapproval, or partial approval. The Magnuson-
Stevens Act also requires that NMFS, upon receiving an amendment, 
immediately publish a notice that the amendment is available for public 
review and comment. NMFS will consider all public comments received 
during the comment period in determining whether to approve the 
amendments for implementation.
    The SFA amended the requirements for FMPs in section 303(a) of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act. The SFA established a 2-year deadline by which 
the FMPs had to be in compliance with the SFA/Magnuson-Stevens Act 
requirements. The proposed amendments are intended to supplement the 
FMPs to conform to the new requirements in section 303(a) of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act. The proposed amendments: address bycatch and 
bycatch mortality issues by presenting an overview of the type and 
amount of bycatch in each managed fishery, assessing the adequacy of 
bycatch reporting, and examining the existing and possible new measures 
to minimize bycatch and mortality of bycatch in each fishery; describe 
the likely effects of management measures on fishing communities; 
specify overfishing criteria to determine whether a fishery is 
overfished; identify commercial, recreational, and charter fishing 
activity in each sector; identify pertinent data associated with the 
fishing activity in each sector; and identify essential fish habitat/
areas of particular concern for management unit species. The new 
overfishing criteria are not expected to result in major changes to 
allowable catches in these fisheries. Specifically, the amendments 
would add or revise existing definitions in the four Western Pacific 
FMPs for: ``Bycatch,'' ``Charter fishing,'' ``Commercial fishing,'' 
``Recreational fishing,'' ``Essential fish habitat,'' ``Fishing 
community,'' ``Individual fishing quota,'' ``Optimum,'' 
``Overfishing,'' ``Overfished,'' and ``Pacific Insular Area.'' 
Recommendations are also presented for obtaining additional data that 
would enable NMFS and the Council to implement effectively the new 
requirements under the proposed amendments.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: November 2, 1998.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-29653 Filed 11-2-97; 2:59 pm]
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